Ordinary Lives
by Khandalis
Summary: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur everyday. Series of interconnected drabbles. Semi-canon
1. uneventful day, first day, long day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Llama/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: If I did own it, I would have killed Yosuke quickly and painfully. Just because I could. Yukiko would follow.

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Dojima Ryotaro leaned against his car, blowing smoke circles toward the reddening sky and laughing to himself as mosquitoes were caught in them. Every now and then he glanced at his watch and stared at the train platform. Seeing nothing, he would return to artfully (ans gleefully) blinding innocent bugs. Nervous habit, really. The man couldn't be blamed. About two weeks prior, his sister called, begging him to take in her teenage son while she tried to sort through a big mess that involved her in-laws. Dojima had planned to say no right away; he could hardly connect with his daughter in elementary school. How was he supposed to deal with a boy in his mid-teens? But then she had started crying, and he hadn't the heart to turn her away. So, by the end of the phone call, he had agreed to house a nephew he hadn't seen since shortly after the death of his late wife, all in the name of preserving the boy's good memories of home, helping his sister, and his lack of a back bone.

Dojima dropped the cigarette to the ground and smothered it beneath his foot. He took the pack out of his shirt pocket, stared at it, and then put it away before shoving his hands into his pant pockets. He wondered vaguely if his nephew had ever out grown his abnormally pale skin and hair color. Before he could wonder much about it, the screech of a train whistle cut through the air and his thoughts. Dojima looked up just in time to see the train thundering down the tracks. Very few people got off at the Inaba stop (it was the last stop and in the middle of nowhere). So, it didn't take very long for the individuals to exit or for the train to depart again. Despite that, Dojima didn't see Souji in the crowd, or by the way side.

"Dojima-san."

The gruff man flinched and turned around to see his fair eyed, fair skinned, (fair haired?), nephew starting at him with a suitcase in hand and duffle bag on his shoulder. Yep, totally the same as he remembered. Minus the baby fat and plus the teenage puberty. That included the deepness of his voice. Dojima found himself doing something that he rarely did: smile. Souji seemed to recognize that it was a scarce thing and stared at him quizzically.

"Souji," he said. "Hop in." Souji nodded, put his things in the back, and then climbed into the passenger seat. And that's where things got awkward really fast; for Dojima anyway. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen this kid in nearly eight years. So, he didn't really know what to talk about with him and instead went with the cliché questions of school/friends/girlfriend/any other mundane thing until they both lapsed into silence for the remainder of the car ride. Dojima let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding when they finally reached his home and he ushered the silent boy inside.

"Daaaaad! Welcome home!" he heard his daughter call from upstairs. He watched Souji watch her run into the living room. Her running feet screeched to a halt as she took in Souji. The boy studied her for a moment before breaking into a gentle smile.

"Nanako-chan?"

"Y-yes…?" The poor girl seemed torn between running to her room and the polite thing to do: staying there.

Souji chuckled. "I can call you that, right?"

Any hesitation the girl had evaporated into thin air. "Yes! You can!" she exclaimed excitedly. Dojima felt relived. No problems there.

"It's almost time for you to go to bed, Nanako. School tomorrow." Dojima said sternly. Nanako pouted for a moment, but quickly recovered. She wished both her father and her cousin a goodnight before trotting to her room. Souji stared after her with a fond smile.

"She's really grown up since the last time I was here." Dojima looked at him for a while before Souji turned to him with a smile.

"I'll show you to your room." Dojima said before picking up Souji's suitcase and heading for the steps. It wasn't hard to find Souji's room; it was just down the hall from Dojima's.

"Here it is." He said. "It hasn't been used in forever, so it'll be a little stuffy. Feel free to open the window and let some air in. The rest of your stuff should be coming tomorrow by mail, so bear with the bareness for now."

"Okay." Souji said.

"Do you need help unpacking?"

Souji shook his head.

"Do you remember where everything is?"

A nod.

Dojima sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He needed to get to bed early. He was working daytime tomorrow. "Well, then I'm off to bed. Goodnight." He said before turning toward the door.

"Ah, wait." Souji said, grabbing his sleeve. Dojima looked back at him. Flustered, the grey haired boy hesitated before continuing. "Thank you for this, Dojima-san."

Dojima gazed at Souji for a moment before extending a hand and patting him on the shoulder. "Welcome back, Souji. Make yourself at home." He said. Without waiting for an answer, he exited the room and headed off to his bedroom. He'd been due for eight hours of perfect rest for a couple months.

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><p>(AN: And that's probably about as serious as this is ever going to get.)


	2. uneventful morning, second day, long day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Alpaca/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: If I did own it, Souji and Saki's little brother would have the option to date. - Hey! Great fanfic idea!

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Chapter 2: uneventful morning; second day; long day

Seta Souji awoke at precisely 6:30 a.m. one Monday morning to an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar place staring blankly at the equally blank ceiling wondering just where the heck he was. At 6:50 a.m., Souji was already out of bed, showered, dressed, and heading down the stairs to see what sort of breakfast he could conjure up for the remaining inhabitants of the Dojima household. He walked purposefully to the refrigerator and opened it, feeling guilty for approximately fifteen seconds for using the kitchen and the food without permission. But hadn't his uncle welcomed him and told him to make himself at home? That meant hot breakfast on the table by 7:30. Too engaged in his cooking, Souji didn't notice his sleepy-eyed uncle stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Wah!" Dojima shrieked, too surprised to do much else. Souji refrained from shaking his head in pity. Was breakfast so rare a thing in this household that even his uncle would scream at the sight of it? Souji decided then and there that he would fill in the neglected role of housekeeper. Perhaps he couldn't do it as well as his late aunt, but he was the only blessing these poor fools were going to get.

"Good morning, Uncle." Souji said when Dojima showed signs of overcoming his cardiac arrest. He opened a cupboard and took out three plates. "Breakfast will be ready soon." His uncle still wasn't saying anything. Souji looked up at his uncle, curious about his silence and was met with a star of utter bewilderment. It was 7:18 a.m. when Souji finished setting the table with a Western style breakfast. Dojima stared at his nephew, and then at the table. Then, he stared at his nephew again before exclaiming.

"When the **_heck_** did you wake up?"

~*o.o*~

Breakfast was, in a word, interesting. Nanako was as excited over his ability to cook as Dojima was disconcerted. It took a lot not to laugh every time the man studied him suspiciously (Every fifteen seconds). Chuckling to himself, Souji looked at the hastily written directions to Inaba High given to him, courtesy of his uncle. How the man managed to leave late after all of Souji's endeavors was unfathomable to him. It took about five minutes before Souji realized that he didn't even need the paper Dojima wrote (grateful as he may be). He just had to do what teenagers were normally good at: follow everybody else. Souji's mind was blank as he slipped into the sea of moving bodies headed toward the school gates. It unnerved him just a bit that they were all going at the same time (at the same pace); the whole thing reminded him of drone-rush hour back in the city except with a lot more mental energy and a lot less train gropers.

"Get out of the way!"

The red sea of students parted almost immediately, leaving Souji standing there, dazed and confused, still returning to earth from daydream land. All he saw before he was promptly run over was a boy with brown hair rushing toward him at Mach five on a bike. Souji made a mental note as he catapulted to the ground to never daydream on his way to school. Both he and the poor soul on the runaway bike were sprawled in the dirt, gasping for breath. After about thirty seconds, the brunette stood up and shouted at him angrily.

"Are you an idiot?"

Souji looked at the boy blandly before standing up and inspecting the damage. Great. The moron has scuffed his perfectly ironed jacket. He dusted himself off, swallowing the seed of irritation that was beginning to grow. When Souji looked up again, the brunette was staring at him with a pensive look on his face. Souji cocked his head in a silent question.

"Say, you're new here, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yeah." Souji replied.

The brunette brightened. "I knew it! I would've recognized your silver hair if you weren't! I'm Yosuke by the way." he paused and then deflated in realization. "Sorry about earlier man. I mean about running you over and yelling at you afterward."

Souji blinked at Yosuke's kicked puppy face. He repressed the urge to actually kick him and instead offered a hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm Seta Souji. Nice to meet you." Yosuke looked relieved as he took the offered hand. He grabbed his bag and righted his bike before turning to grin at Souji.

"I'll make it up to you, man! Anything you need to know about this town and this school, including directions, gossip, or even the best cafeteria food, you can come to me for the info!"

Souji simply nodded. Internally he repressed a groan. Second day back in Inaba, early in the morning, and he had unwillingly befriended a paparazzi. Great.

Yosuke grinned even wider and somehow manage to sling a friendly arm around Souji's shoulders while balancing his book bag and his bike.

"Souji, my friend, I believe this is going to be a long and fulfilling friendship."

Souji grunted in response, but said nothing. Long, yes. Fulfilling? Heck, no.

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><p>(AN: While typing the Souji and Yosuke meet scene, I actually wrote "Sasuke" in place of Souji. For some reason, I couldn't stop laughing even after I corrected it.

I almost forgot to post this! Saturday is when this will be updated. I made it by half an hour... D: )


	3. uneventful evening, third day, short day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Panda/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day. Series of interconnected drabbles. Semi-cannon

**Disclaime**r: If I owned it, Naoto would be a boy so I could gleefully pair him with Souji. I did that in the game anyway, but….it just isn't the same!

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Awkward silences were the bane of Ryotaro Dojima's existence. Well, at least where his nephew was involved.

It was around eleven thirty when he finally made it home from work. He'd had the option to leave earlier, but he hadn't. He never did. And it had never mattered before. The house would be as silent and empty as his mood when he returned. So, Dojima was definitely surprised when he parked his car and saw a light on. It was so completely unnatural that the first thing that came to Dojima's mind was "burglar". But then, the light was in the kitchen, so Nanako could have been hungry…

Slowly, Dojima stuck his key in the door and let himself in with practiced ease. He didn't bother to take his shoes off, but quietly made his way to the kitchen…only to see Souji sitting there with school materials in front of him. Dojima blinked once. Twice. And he would have blinked a third time, but he sneezed and his eyes closed instead.

Souji looked up, surprised. "Welcome back, uncle. I didn't hear you come home." Dojima watched Souji's eyes trail to his feet. The boy frowned.

"You didn't take off your shoes…."

"Yeah. I, uh, forgot." Dojima said lamely. Souji glanced up at him, a look of concern on his face. Dojima felt himself squirm internally. The kid had a gaze that made you feel three feet tall. Not that Dojima would admit to it. To feeling intimidated by a child, that is. He could feel the awkward silence settling in on them, so Dojima spoke to dispel it.

"What are you doing up? Don't you have school tomorrow?"

Souji smiled, his steel gaze looking a little less….steely. "I have a lot of homework to catch up on since I didn't move here at the beginning of the year."

"Ah, I see. Is it difficult?"

Souji shook his head. "Not really. I'm about half way done with it. I thought I'd finish it before going to bed."

Dojima hummed in agreement. He knew from his experience with desk work that it was better to finish things like that all at once. Otherwise you'd leave it and it would pile up. Literally. Still, it was pretty late and the kid had school in the morning. Dojima opened his mouth to voice this, but Souji spoke before he got the chance.

"Are you hungry, uncle? I saved some dinner for you." Souji said, pointing to the kitchen counter.

Dojima followed Souji's finger to a set of plates covered in plastic warp. He walked over to the counter and unwrapped them.

"….the heck? Gyoza?" he mused out loud. When had the kid had the time to get ingredients for (and make) gyoza? So random…

"Hey, Souji." Dojima began, glancing over his shoulder. "When did you—?" he trailed off when he saw the silver boy's face. Souji was staring at the table with an unreadable expression. It was as if he was trying hard to hide disappointment. A distressed sort of silence clung to them. Dojima frowned. He really hated awkward silences. With a grunt, he pulled placed the bowls on the table and sat down. Without another word, he dipped the fried dough into one of the bowls containing soy sauce and popped it into his mouth. Chicken instead of pork. Dojima almost smiled, realization dawning on him.

"You're not going to heat it up?" Souji asked looking a little thrown.

"Nah. It's fine." Dojima said after swallowing. "This is good, kid. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Dojima-san." Souji said with a smile.

Dojima felt himself relax. "Souji?"

"Yes?"

"Don't wait up for me next time. I get home late."

Souji looked surprised for a moment, and then embarrassed. He turned back to his textbooks. "Yes, sorry." He mumbled red tinting his cheeks.

Dojima grinned and continued to eat. They said nothing for the rest of the night, but it was okay. The silence around them was wasn't awkward, but comfortable. Comfortable like chicken gyoza, Dojima's favorite food.

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><p>(AN: I don't have much to say since I'm on road trip (Which means I can't edit as well. Sorry. _' ) Touring the northern states! Wh00t! Too bad we didn't bring our passports otherwise we could have taken a ferry from Michigan to Canada…bummer. Ah, well. Maybe next year. :) Oh, yeah. I changed the summary to reduce any confusion later.

Gyoza is apparently like pot stickers. It's traditionally made with pork and served with tare sauce, which is used as a dipping sauce. Ha ha. Souji just used regular soy sauce here though.)


	4. uneventful evening, fourth day, long day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Snake/Drama/Drama/Late Update/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: M

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day. Series of interconnected drabbles. Semi-cannon

**Disclaime**r: Yeah, yeah. I don't own it.

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

The things in life that made Seta Souji loose his cool were very, very few and far in between. It was just something that didn't happen. When you lived life in pretty much total control of yourself, you simply didn't encounter these things as often as other mortals. So, imagine, Souji's surprise when he returned home from school to see a very suspicious looking character patting Nanako's head and laughing lightly. Souji's eyes narrowed in distrust as he approached the two laughing at the door. Nanako, who noticed him first beamed and waved excitedly.

"Welcome home, big brother! How was school?"

Souji felt an affectionate smile fall onto his lips, and he lifted one hand to wave at his younger cousin.

"I'm home, Nanako-chan. School was good. What about you?" he asked, giving the girl a hug. She laughed amiably and hung off his arm, chattering about her school day. But he was only half listening. Instead, his eyes were trained on the suspiciously awkward person standing at their front door. Souji didn't bother masking his glare as they approached and this only seemed to make the man even more uncomfortable. Which was good; the man rubbed him the wrong way for some reason. Unfortunately, he couldn't randomly order people off the property. It was Dojima-san's house after all. Besides, Souji had much more tact than that.

"Nanako-chan," he said lightly, eyes never leaving the other man, "Who is this?"

"Oh, that's right! You haven't meet Adachi-san!" she giggled. "Adachi-san, this is my cousin, Souji! Nii-chan, this is Adachi-san! He's dad's partner."

Souji internally raised an eyebrow at this. Partner, huh? He smiled gently at the man. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Adachi-san."

The man looked surprised, and then embarrassed. "Likewise." He said offering a hand. Souji shook it gingerly.

"But where is Dojima-san? Don't you two get off at the same time?"

Adachi rubbed his neck again and looked uncomfortable. "Well…he wanted to stay behind to look into a case." An anxious look crossed the man's face. "But don't tell him I told you. It's personal." He finished hurriedly. Souji felt himself growl internally. If that was the case, then why did the man say anything at all? He hated people who played that childish game of give and take and red herrings. But instead of voicing this, Souji smiled understandingly and offered the man a drink inside.

When they were inside, Souji placed his bag in the living room, and Nanako left to go play with a friend. Adachi stood around looking self-conscious until he told him to take a seat.

"Is a beer alright?" Souji called from the kitchen.

"Y-yeah!" Adachi called back. Souji brought it over and sat down on the other side of Adachi with a drink of his own.

"Is that alcohol?" Adachi wondered as Souji turned on the television with the remote.

"No. I'm both too young for and not fond of alcohol."

"Ah…" Adachi said with a grin. "Such a good, kid." He took another swing of the beer and Souji couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust. Why people drank beer was beyond him. It tasted like ditch water. **Fermented** ditch water.

"I was surprised that Dojima-san agreed to take you in at first, but now I can see why he did."

Souji looked up, surprised. He'd been too far in his mental rant about beer that he hadn't noticed Adachi talking.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, I see why Dojima-san took you in without complaint." Adachi said, fixing him with a stare. Souji felt himself shift uncomfortably. The man's eyes were like onyx pits.

"You're cautious, but caring. Not a people pleaser, but knowledgeable of people." The dark haired man mused. Souji frowned, not liking that Adachi had taken the reigns in their conversation.

"What about you, Adachi-san? You're not as innocent as you try to come off."

"Ah, well. That's true. ...But you aren't either." Adachi replied after emptying his beer can. Souji stared at him bemused. The older man cocked an eyebrow, black eyes twinkling. "What? Are you pouting?"

Souji opened his mouth, ready with an indignant response, but never got the chance because at that moment, Dojima returned home.

"Souji! Nanako! I'm home!" the man bellowed.

"And…that's my cue to leave." Adachi murmured and getting up. "It was nice meeting you, Souji-kun." He said over his shoulder before greeting Dojima and slipping past him on his way out the door.

"Adachi? Wait! Have you been drinking my beer?" Dojima exclaimed, following his partner out the door.

Souji watched them silently, the television a dull hum in the background.

_'Adachi, huh?'_ He thought to himself. The man rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't hate him; hate required passion. He was just…unsettled by him. Maybe because they seemed…alike in some way? Souji shrugged and turned back to the program he was watching. Well, one thing was clear. If Dojima's shouts were any indication, Adachi probably wouldn't be giving a house call any time soon.

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><p>(AN: -_- These updates get later and later in the day on Saturday. Lol, I feel like I'm late in paying the bills or something. I looked at the time and thought, "Oh, crap! I haven't posted the next chapter yet!" Sorry….I got sidetracked. )


	5. uneventful morning, fifth day, short day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Spider Monkey/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day. Series of interconnected drabbles. Semi-cannon

**Disclaime**r: There would be SO many changes if I owned it. *cackles*

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

It was a pleasant morning.

Ryotaro Dojima yawned and stretched on the living room couch, smiling at the warm sun rays shinning in through the glass French doors. Nanako and Souji had already left for school and he was lounging on the sofa on his day off. It was a rarity, yes, but pleasant nonetheless. He was just about to close his eyes and let the serenity overtake him in the form of dreams when the phone rang.

Ring…ring…ring…

Dojima groaned and covered his ears. Why was it that whenever he got a chance for relaxation, something shrill and annoying decided to mess it up for him? Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away…

Ring…ring…rrrrrrrring

Doubtful. Dojima groaned and sauntered over to the phone, dragging his feet as slowly as possible in hopes that the person on the other line would just give up. No such luck.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver.

"Ah, Ryota! It's me! How are things?" a woman on the other line said cheerily. Dojima immediately recognized her as his sister.

"Hi, Erika. Things are fine. The kids are at school, but I have the day off today."

"I know. That's why I called."

Dojima almost sighed in aggravation. How did she even know when his days off were? Wasn't that confidential information for people on the force? But then again, he wouldn't put it past his sister to find out what she wanted to know. Or any woman for that matter.

"So….how's Souji?" she asked.

"Souji's good. The kid adapts well. He's taken over making breakfast in the mornings."

"Oh, really?" his sister chuckled. "He always did like cooking."

Dojima hummed in agreement. "He isn't having trouble in school from what I've heard, and he's already making friends. You've got a pretty perfect son there, sis."

"Not completely." She argued lightly. "He's pretty simple minded actually."

"What do you mean?"

"He likes what he likes and pays no attention to what he doesn't like. And if someone tries to discourage him from something he likes, it'll only make him obsessed."

Dojima laughed. "Really? You'd never know by looking at him."

"I know….But other than that he's a pretty nice kid to be around."

"Yeah, I know."

"Hm…" his sister hummed on the other end, "You know, he was the one who asked to go to your place."

"Huh?"

"When things were especially bad, earlier this year, I asked Souji where he wanted to go. I didn't want to leave him with a friend, so I asked which relative he wanted to live with so I could ask; he said he wanted to go to your place."

"…But he hasn't been here since he was eight or nine."

"I know, but he insisted."

"Huh…"

"Yeah. I thought it was a little strange for him to want to go to Inaba since he hadn't been there in years. He used to go to you every year and then all at once….he stopped." She paused. "Why is that exactly?"

"I don't have the foggiest idea. You'd have to ask him."

"Mm. I probably will. Oh, the time! I gotta go Ryota…."

Dojima laughed. "Okay. Take care of yourself, Erika."

"That translated to "don't get killed by your in-laws", didn't it? I can't promise anything, but I'll try. Don't bully my son!"

"Yeah…yeah…bye."

"Talk to you later, Ryota."

_Click_.

With a small smile on his face, Dojima strolled back over to the couch and unceremoniously flopped face first onto it, determined to enjoy his holiday. It didn't take long. He was asleep within three minutes, conversation with his sister long forgotten as the warm sun rays shinned on his face.

It really was a pleasant morning.

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><p>(AN: Still there? Cool. "Erika" really is a Japanese name. I didn't make it up. It was just the first thing that came to mind when I was trying to figure out what to call Souji's mother. I was actually planning on posting two chapters this week, but I had to get surgery and have now four pieces of wisdom in the form of teeth have been removed from my mouth. I think I'll try double posting next week before school starts. Things should start picking up here as more characters come into play. Bear with it for a bit. Thanks. :))


	6. uneventful day, sixth day, long day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Farmer Llama/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: This chapter is brought to you under the influence of Hershey's chocolate. Minty, almond, special dark, toffee, and crispy to be precise. I don't own them or P4, but I did eat them. Thanks to those who bothered to review. Net chocolates for you.

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, darn. I really didn't want to put one of these up here since no one reads it, but this should be addressed before this story goes on. Thanks so much to an anonymous reviewer for pointing this out: In the original story, Nanako is around seven years old; I said that Souji hadn't been in Inaba since shortly before Dojima's wife's death which was "eight or nine years ago". Yeah, uhm, that doesn't add up. So, I'm going to exercise my "semi-cannon" label (which, in my head just means time, place, and characters involved). Let's just agree that Nanako is not seven years old. Let's make her ten. And though none of the characters will ever decide between eight or nine since they are time challenged, we'll make Souji's absence eight years. Yeah, let us do just that. Now that we have dodged that potentially fatal bullet, please, proceed.

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Ever since he met him (approximately four days, two hours, twelve minutes and fifty three seconds ago; but who's counting?), Souji had never taken Yosuke seriously. In fact, his chatty friend irritated him some of the time. Most of the time. Okay, all of the time. But Souji couldn't be blamed. Yosuke was constantly hanging around and trying to drag Souji somewhere; he all but forced the silver haired boy to agree to hang out with him on the weekend. Souji had, reluctantly, agreed.

So, when Yosuke showed up at his house at nine thirty Saturday morning, Souji couldn't fathom why he was so surprised.

"….I can't believe you're even up this early." Souji deadpanned, stepping aside to let Yosuke in.

"Well, I did say I was going to pick you up 'first thing in the morning'."

"That, you did. And you're here. At nine thirty in the morning. …I think I respect you a little."

"Awww….thanks, Souji!"

Souji didn't dignify that with a response since he wasn't actually complimenting Yosuke. Instead, he sighed and turned on the coffee maker.

"How do you take your coffee, Yosuke?"

"A little sugar, no milk. Thanks."

Souji turned to his friend in surprise. He was sure the brunette would have had copious amounts of both sugar and milk. Ah, well, you learn new things every day.

"So," Souji inquired as he pulled out leftover breakfast croissants from the fridge after stirring the coffee. Where are we going today?"

"Well, the plan was for me to give you a tour of Junes, and then meet my two best friends for lunch." Yosuke said, grinning and accepting the food with thanks.

"And why was it necessary for you to show up here at nine thirty for only that?"

Yosuke gave Souji a bemused look. "What are you talking about? Junes is **huge**." He said with half a croissant in his mouth.

"Don't speak with food in your mouth." Souji chastised immediately. Yosuke made an incredulous noise and rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," he continued, mouth food free, "Junes really is big. It'll take two hours to give you a tour." He glanced at the kitchen clock. "It's nine forty-five. If we leave now, we'll get there at ten, giving us enough time to meet Chie and Yukiko for lunch."

"Chie and Yukiko?"

"My two best friends."

"Ah." A pause. "You have friends?"

"Hardy har har" Yosuke said sarcastically. He grabbed Souji's wrist and began dragging him out of the house. "C'mon! Chie'll kill me if we're late!"

To be quite frank, Souji wasn't really expecting much from Junes or the jubilant little tour Yosuke was going to give him. Sure, he'd gotten a glimpse of the super store on his way in to Inaba. He'd also heard the gossip and slander from a few residents still sore over the fact that Junes had taken business from them and other stores that had been around in the "good ol' days". But none of that really mattered. He wasn't expecting much because this was Yosuke. No offense to him or anything.

So, really, it wasn't surprising that he was struck speechless when they finally reached the gates that lead into the Junes superstore. There were streamers and balloons and kids EVERYWHERE. Souji stared as two children attached themselves to a clown and popped the balloons he had. Like sea urchins. All while screaming at the top of their lungs. Souji stared as a little girl assaulted a small dog with a water gun filled with red liquid that looked suspiciously like ketchup. Souji stared as parents and grandparents giggled and laughed among themselves, completely oblivious to the pandemonium around them. Souji stared; then he looked at Yosuke in silent but desperate question. Yosuke only grinned in response and pulled Souji inside one of the buildings.

ᵩᵩᵩᵩᵩᵩᵩ

"And…over there is the newly vamped electronics section where we have all of the newest gadgets and computers!" the Junes tour guide chirped happily. The children and adults in the line 'oohed' and 'aahed' as they passed the advanced entertainment technology. Souji was also very appreciative of Junes' large collection, just not as vocal about it.

"…Yosuke." Souji murmured. But Yosuke wasn't paying any attention, and instead was whispering animatedly with a little boy in front of them. Okay, different tactic. Souji elbowed his friend in the ribs.

"Ow." Yosuke hissed, rubbing his abused side. "What is it, Souji?"

"…You didn't tell me this was Cookies and Rainbows Day at Junes before dragging me here to witness people in crazy costumes be mauled by kids. How much longer, Hanamura?"

"Hey, it's 'Kid's Day'!" Yosuke exclaimed, sounded offended. "And don't diss the costumes. I designed them myself."

"…Why am I not surprised?" Souji muttered, ignoring the glare the tour guide (also in costume) was sending their way. "How much longer, Yosuke?" he sighed. The brunette opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted.

_Noon, noon~! It's noon at your Junes~! Hurry to the food court for our lunch time specials, boys and girls~!_

Souji stared at the intercom on a far wall in horror. They even sang…

"Well, that's our cue." Yosuke laughed and gestured toward a set of glass doors. They left the group behind just as the tour guide was opening the floor for questions.

By this time, Souji was more than a little worried. He gazed warily at Yosuke's back as they made their way through the miasma of little people to the food court. If the latter half of the day was going to continue the way the former did (i.e. bright colors causing blindness, children attempting murder causing dumbness, insanely loud singing causing deafness), then he would probably be scarred for life after meeting Yosuke's "friends".

Or…maybe not.

Souji felt himself relax as he spotted two (thankfully very normal looking) girls sitting at one of the scarce vacant tables in the food court waving them over. Yosuke waved wildly and jogged over; Souji wasn't too far behind.

"Hi guys!" Yosuke gushed when they reached the table. Both girls, one brunette, the other raven, greeted Yosuke brightly and then gave Souji a curious look.

"Who's this?" the girl with the brunette bob asked.

"Oh, that's right. Let me introduce you." Yosuke said. He gestured between Souji and the girls. "Souji, these are my best friends, Satonaka Chie and Amagi Yukiko. Chie, Yukiko, this is my new bud, Seta Souji."

"Nice to meet you." Souji said offering a hand to both girls.

"Oh…so you're Souji? Nice to meet you." The brunette, Chie, said with a grin. "Did you know that Yosuke follows you home and collects your candy wrappers?"

Souji stared. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Oh, stop, Chie." Yukiko, the raven, giggled. Then to Souji she said in an apologetic voice, "She's kidding….maybe."

Souji looked over at Yosuke, his face blank. Yosuke rolled his eyes and turned back to his giggling friends.

"I do not! And how would you know, Chie? You were sick this week and Yukiko just got back from visiting relatives!"

Souji watched the three bicker (mostly Chie and Yosuke) with mild interest. Well, that explained why he hadn't seen either girl in school.

"Whatever." Yosuke huffed. "Have you guys eaten yet?" The girls shook their head. "Cool! I'll go get food then. What do you want?"

"Fries for me." Chie said.

"Cherry coke and lemonade mix, please." Yukiko said.

"Chili dog for me." Souji replied. Yosuke raised his eyebrows. "I saw a kid feeding it to his dog a few tables back." He said, answering his friend's silent question of how he knew what was on the menu. The remaining three watched as Yosuke walked over to the food counter and began ordering before turning away and talking amongst themselves.

"So….Seta-kun?" Chie began.

Souji waved a hand dismissively. "Souji is fine."

"Cool. Souji it is." She said with a bright grin. "I heard that you are the nephew of Dojima-san. Is that true?"

"How were you able to hear gossip if you were sick in bed, Chie?" Yukiko asked suspiciously.

"Please. Like people haven't been talking about it for weeks. Besides, my mom mentioned that Yosuke was hanging out with the nephew of Dojima-san."

"Oh, I see."

"You know my uncle?" Souji asked.

"Who doesn't?" the brunette laughed. "He's infamous for being super strict and cracking down on teen acting stupid."

Souji nodded as he processed that. It wasn't all that difficult to imagine his uncle being strict. Dojima-san was a serious man, after all.

"Is he like that at home?" Yukiko asked, her dark eyes staring hard as if she was trying to see through a lie if he were to tell one.

"Not….really. He's stern, but…gentle, I suppose, at the same time."

Another smile eased its way onto Yukiko's face. "That means he cares."

Souji returned the smile warmly. "Yeah, he does."

Chie looked between the two, her expression completely incredulous. "The both of you are insane. This is Dojima-san, killer-of-all-that-is-fun, we're talking about."

"Chie, you sound like Yosuke." Yukiko said with a roll of her eyes. Chie opened her mouth to argue, but Yosuke returned with the food, effectively interrupting them.

"Who sounds like who?" he asked, passing the food to its respective owner.

"Nothing. We were just discussing your stupidity." Chie snorted as she threw a French fry at Yosuke; it hit him on the head.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, and grabbed a fry of his own to punish the offender. Yukiko giggled as she drank her Cherry Coke and lemonade concoction. By the fifth fry, Souji decided it was time to break up the make-shift battle.

But he never got the chance.

Because they all seemed to have forgotten what day it was at Junes and who they were surrounded by because of it: impressionable children.

Many, many impressionable children.

"FOOOD FIIIGHT!" some young urchin hollered at the top of his lungs.

The group froze as battle cries erupted all over the food court. Almost immediately, the edible projectiles were in the air. Souji dove under the table and assumed fetal position. Conditioned reflex. The other three teens weren't far behind.

"Thanks, Helen of Troy." Yosuke muttered as they watched the boy who screamed first throw a pepperoni pizza at the table in front of him, which would have been fine if it hadn't landed on the little girl sitting there. On her head.

"Shut it, Yosuke. This was also your fault—!" Chie started to say, but was interrupted by a scream so filled with anguish that it chilled their blood and them with terror. It was the scream of a young banshee.

"My **_hair_**!" the girl, who now had oily pizza and pepperoni oozing down her face shrieked appalled. The boy who threw it doubled over in laughter at the sight while the girl gave him a glare that could peel paint. But, then, she stopped glaring and smiled sweetly at her assailant. The boy stopped laughing right away and gave her a bemused look.

Pizza-head-banshee-girl wasted no time. She didn't even hesitate as she grabbed a bowl from the table and smeared hot spaghetti on the boy's head. The poor lad screamed and clawed at his face as she cackled. The boy's parents, who were returning with drinks, looked scandalized. And this started an entire new war as the boys began firing on the girls and vice versa.

'Hell hath no fury.' Souji thought and then cringed as a chili cheese dog splattered within nine inches of him. It looked suspiciously like his chili dog. He'd really been looking forward to eating that. But this wasn't the time to mourn, he'd do that later. Leaving the premises alive (or unscathed) was a more pressing matter at the moment.

"How do we get out of here?" Yukiko yelled above the screaming and shouting children running by them.

"We're too big of a target together!" Yosuke yelled back. "We'll have to split!"

"Okay!" Chie, said, joining in on the yelled battle plan. "Yukiko and I will go one way, and you and Souji will have to go another!"

"Wait for an opening and run. Don't look back." Souji said loud enough for them to hear, but not quite yelling.

"We'll see you guys on Monday if we survive this!" Chie shouted. The other three nodded solemnly.

And in that moment, their hearts were connected in one united front like many brave men and women who fight for survival on the bitter front lines of war. Comrades brought together from desperate times.

"On my count…" Yosuke said, watching as the kids ran off to find more ammo. "One…two…three…NOW!"

Souji never recalled moving so fast in his entire life as he and Yosuke sprinted in the opposite direction of Chie and Yukiko. They ran and ran until they made it to the entry way of Junes where they promptly collapsed, wheezing and gasping for breath.

"Oh, man…!" Yosuke laughed and then chocked on air because of it. "T-that was wicked!"

"Hanamura…." Souji growled as he stood up when he was finally able to breathe properly.

"Aww…c'mon, Souji!" Yosuke whined as the silver haired boy glared down at him "Don't be a downer like that. You had fun, too."

"Hanamura…"

"Seriously, man. You have to agree that that was friggin' awesome!"

"Yosuke."

"Err…yes, Souji?"

Souji grinned and offered a hand to his brunette friend, helping him to his feet.

"…That was awesome."

* * *

><p>(AN: Sorry. I got distracted reading manga in the middle of editing, so I just got around to posting this...eh heh. Totally left the realms of "drabble" with this one. :P The only food fight I've witnessed lasted a grand total of ninety seconds before the offenders were hauled off to the principal's office. That was middle school.

Well, this one is early as promised. I bet you're thinking, "How come Nanako didn't go? She loves Junes! There's no way she didn't hear about it! Grr." Well, she isn't seven anymore, remember? Blergh….I haven't been feeling so hot, so it's a wonder I finished this at all. And then there's tomorrow's post. Bleh… But you don't care about that. I'll stop spamming and get to writing. Ciao.)

* * *

><p>Khan-chan's Not-So-Funny-Corner:<p>

Conversation with my sis. [Modified slightly for my amusement] No offense to anyone who frequents either fandom.

**Lil' sis**: You read Furuba fanfiction! That's disgusting! How could you sink so low! You're like, in Hades territory! I've lost all respect for you!

**Me**: I read Pokémon fics, too.

**Lil' sis**: Gyaaah!


	7. uneventful day, seventh day, long day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Karma/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: If I did own it…uhm…I'd be mine…er…can I have it? I also apologize for any and all mistakes made in my haste to complete and post this...

* * *

><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Dojima lay prostrate on the couch in the living room staring idly at the ceiling. It was his second day off in the same week. That _never_ happened. He vaguely wondered if he should be suspicious…

"Daaaaaad!" his daughter's voice rang throughout the house, interrupting his less than important thoughts. Dojima sighed to himself, rubbed his eyes, chuckling softly. Well, there went his peace filled silence.

"I'm home, Dad!" Nanako exclaimed excitedly as she peeked into the living room. "Hurry to the kitchen!"

"Welcome home, Nanako." Dojima said as he got up from the couch. "Where's the fire?"

"Just hurry, Dad!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming…"

Dojima couldn't help but smile to himself. This reminded him of the many times his daughter had come home from school or a play-date with a project, baked goods, or a drawing labeled "to Dad". Whenever Nanako brought something home with that warm expression of hers, Dojima didn't have the heart to tell her that they couldn't use a mini popsicle fence for anything or that mud pies with grass sprinkles weren't edible.

So, Dojima was expecting something of that nature when he stepped into the kitchen. Instead, he found himself staring at what appeared to be a wet rat on the tiled floor. Nanako gazed at him expectantly, but he could only offer a blank look in return. …what _was _it?

"Isn't it the cutest, Dad?" Nanako exclaimed as she picked up the sopping wet, shivering rodent off the floor and suffocated it in a bear hug. "I gave him a bath before coming home!"

"Mreeeh!" the thing exclaimed in protest.

"Nanako." Dojima said hesitantly. "Is that a possum?" Were possums even native to Japan?

His daughter rolled her eyes and huffed. "Silly Dad. It's a kitty!"

"A cat."

"Mm-hm."

"Really." He could have sworn…

"Yep. His name is Pon-Pon."

Pon-Pon. Dojima stared at the cat…thing in Nanako's arms. It was grey. And not the soft grey of rain clouds or the silver grey of watches, but _**ditch water **_grey. One of its ears was torn; there was a scar on its forehead and a mean look in its eyes. Dojima wondered if it had rabies….

"Nanako…." Dojima began carefully.

"Yes, Dad?" she replied. Nanako's voice was sweet. Sickly sweet. She pulled the cat thi—_Pon-Pon_ closer to her chest (if that were possible) protectively and glared a challenge back at him. They stared each other down while Pon-Pon died slowly from asphyxiation. _Take this away from me and I'll hate you forever_... Dojima could practically feel those words emanating from Nanako's aura.

"He's going to be your responsibility…" the man sighed, defeated. Nanako brightened immediately and loosened her hold on Pon-Pon (much to the cat's appreciation). "I won't take care of him for you, okay?" Dojima said sternly.

"Thanks, Dad!" Nanako exclaimed loudly; so loudly that she scared the already frightened feline in her arms.

"Mreeeeow!" Pon-Pon shrieked as he took advantage of Nanako's preoccupation and jumped from her arms. The very moment his feet touched the kitchen tile, he bolted.

"Pon-Pon!" Nanako cried, dismayed. She took off after the fleeing animal. "Come back here!"

Dojima watched as the distressed animal did backflips, dashed and sprinted to keep away from his daughter. If Nanako didn't look like she was about to cry, he might have applauded the cat for its amazing imitation of a ninja. But things weren't looking so well for Pon-Pon in the terms of his plans for freedom. Nanako was a fast learner and the cat's feints and flips weren't working on her anymore.

"Gotcha!" the girl cried and lunged for the cat.

"Nanako-chan! Dojima-san! I'm home!" Souji called as he stepped into the house, just arriving after a day with friends. He couldn't have picked a worse time to return.

Both Nanako and Dojima watched in horror as the crazed cat leapt for the door, battle claws ready to tear apart the poor fool that tried to stand in its way.

"Nii-chan!" Nanako wailed covering her face with her hands.

"Souji!" Dojima cried closing his eyes. He couldn't watch. He nephew was about to get mauled by a rabid cat and then he would die of infection from the claws and then his mother would murder Dojima and then—

"Why, hello, there." They heard Souji coo. "What's this sweet little kitty's name?"

Nanako peeked between her fingers and Dojima opened one eye. Lo and behold, Souji was not dead! In fact, Pon-Pon was curled up on his shoulder purring like an engine. Both Dojima and Nanako marveled at the sight before them.

"Amazing, Nii-chan…" Nanako murmured. It's taken her forever to subdue Pon-Pon….

Souji blinked and turned to his silent audience, emerging from his cat loving world. His gaze fell on Dojima and the man flinched. Never before had he seen such a pitiful and pleading expression on the boy's face.

"Can't we keep him, Dojima-san?"

"Yeah, dad!" Nanako begged joining in. "Can we keep Pon-pon?"

Dojima looked at Pon-Pon (who had fallen asleep against Souji) , at his two dependents, and then back again. He sighed in defeat once more and let his shoulders slump.

"…I don't see why not."

"Yay! Pon-Pon stays!" Nanako cried.

"But you have to take care of him." Dojima lifted his head to see Souji smiling brightly at him.

"Don't worry about a thing, Dojima-san. I'll make sure that Nanako knows how to and does take care of him."

Dojima gave the boy long look before sighing for the nth time that day. "Well, as long as you're sure…." He muttered before retreating to the couch in the living room. Sleep turned out to be was impossible with Nanako and Souji and Pon-Pon making so much noise in the kitchen, so Dojima opted to call Adachi and invite him out for drinks. But it'd have to be something light since he had work the next morning. Dojima picked up the house phone and dialed his partner's number.

_Ring…ring…click_

"Hello?"

"Hey, Adachi. I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a light drin—"

CRASH!

"Meeow!"

_Silence_

"We'll clean that up, Dad!"

... ... ...

"Hello? Dojima? What was that noise?"

"…Nothing. Scratch what I said earlier, Adachi. Meet me at the usual place."

* * *

><p>(AN: I didn't DIE! *groans* I'm super behind, aren't I? Sorry...I moved back on campus on August14th, and since then I've fighting for survival at the coolest residential high school ever (that tries to kills its students with work). So, between Anat. Phys lab practicals, discussions in World Religions, AP Calculus homework, Adv. Physics with Topics labs, fixing my schedule, and auditing Comp Sci, I have had **_zero _**time to read/write/post fanfiction. But…now I'm home for Labor Day weekend (I still have to do college apps…*sobs*), so I'll be able to catch up on the three chapters I owe you guys!

Thanks for your patience and the reviews!

**Khandalis**


	8. uneventful day, eighth day, short day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Malaysia/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: Blrgh...I own nothing...Blrgh...Forgive me for any mistakes that appear.

* * *

><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Tap

Souji glanced at the crumbled piece of paper that had landed on his desk. If he remembered correctly, it was number fifty-three. And with the way his luck had been going that morning, it wouldn't be the last of its kind.

Tap. Tap.

Two more

How his teacher failed to noticed these airborne projectiles periodically assaulting his person was beyond him. It had been going on for the past half hour. Souji was starting to get annoyed. He could hear the muffled giggles behind him every time a piece of paper hit him on the head or shoulder or the middle of his back. But like the stoic man he prided himself to be, Souji ignored it. For a half hour. Who was hitting him anyway?

"Souji….Souji! Psst!"

Yosuke. La di-freakin'-da

Seriously, who did he think he was? Couldn't he go a minute without being annoying? Did he need Souji's attention _**all **_the time? No. No, he did not. Did he want that attention? Yes. Ye he did.

Out of the corner of his eye, Souji could see Yukiko giving him a sympathetic look that said, 'You have become Yosuke's newest interest/plaything simply by existing. Woe is you.' Souji almost groaned. He was way too tired for this. Pon-Pon, the new addition to the Dojima household had proved to be more trouble to take care of than either he or his younger cousin, Nanako, had thought. Last night, the poor animal had yowled at the front door wretchedly until two in the morning. And then, he tried to escape as soon as they opened the door to leave for school (which was another escapade all its own).

So, Seta Souji wasn't in the mood for Yosuke's antics. And he would be more than appreciative if they stopped. But the problem with childish individuals is that if you acknowledge them, you've lost. Generally, if you ignore them, they lost the drive to bug you. But Hanamura Yosuke was self-motivated, so that method was entirely useless.

Tap. Tap.

What to do…what to do….Souji idly stabbed one of the miniature paper wads that had collected on his desk with his mechanical pencil. But then he noticed something. Slowly, Souji picked up one of the papers and examined it. On closer inspection, they weren't paper wads at all, but origami stars. Souji glanced around him and realized that he was sitting in a sea of white stars.

That was kinda...cool. Even he had to admit that. Origami stars are hard to make in rapid succession. And there Yosuke was producing fifteen a minute. But Hanamura wasn't off the hook. Not for one natto stinkin' second.

Stealthily, Souji curled his fingers around one of his spare mechanical pencils. Then, he propelled it behind him. Like a ninja.

"Argh!" someone screamed as they were impaled by his make-shift seibon. Souji smirked to himself. Justice was served.

* * *

><p>"My forehead, Souji! <strong>MY FOREHEAD<strong>!"

"Try not to be so annoying next time."

"You could have _**killed me**_!" Yosuke wailed as they wandered the halls during lunch break. The poor brunette massaged his bruised forehead where Souji's pencil had struck with maximum vengeance. How he got off with just a bruise instead of bleeding was something Souji could not fathom.

"Mm…perhaps." Souji replied absentmindedly.

Yosuke huffed and stomped down the stairs to the cafeteria. Souji followed close behind grinning to himself. He put his hand in his pockets, careful not to crush what was inside. One hundred stars exactly. He had a pocket full of stars.

"Thanks for the gift, Yosuke." Souji said to the boy's back. Yosuke whirled around.

"What?"

"Nothing."

* * *

><p>(AN: Sappy if I do say so myself. Weeeeell, this week's chapter was actually supposed to be a filler. Ha ha. I wanted to do a filler once every seven chapters (every seven days in the story). Buuuuut, this chapter was done and the filler was not. Oops.

Originally, the story said "Stealthily, like the BAMF he was, Souji curled his fingers around one of his spare mechanical pencils." Ha ha

:D)


	9. uneventful evening, ninth day, short day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Polyester/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: Beware of the Baa Baa Black sheep. He'll get you good. [read Rebellion by Tatra Megami]

* * *

><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

House calls weren't really Dojima's thing.

Nor were cards. Or gifts for that matter.

So, he really wasn't sure what he was doing standing in front of Adachi's apartment with a plastic bag full of ramen, energy drinks, booze, and takoyaki from the nearby convenience store. Tentatively, Dojima lifted his fist and knocked on the door. He paused to listen; no response, so he tried again.

_Knock knock knock_

"Coming!" a chipper and far too healthy voice called. Dojima considered heading back, but he never got the chance because the door swung open only moments later.

"Dojima-san?" Adachi eyed him quizzically. "What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you supposed to be sick?"

Adachi coked his head to the side in that annoying way puppies did. "I am."

"The heck you are." Dojima growled angrier with himself for showing up than with Adachi for his lack of invalidity.

"No, really. I am." Adachi chuckled. "I've been having some gastrointestinal pain."

"What?"

"Hemmeroids."

Oh. Dojima thought. He glanced down at his bag of junk food and wondered if they were appropriate for Adachi to eat.

"Is that alcohol? And Ramen?" Adachi's eyes were practically sparkling as he gazed hungrily at the contents of Dojima's goody bag. The older man frowned and hid the items behind his back. Adachi's eyes flashed and darkened, reflecting something untamed and opaque. The younger male crouched slowly and began to advance. Dojima found himself taking a step back.

"Shouldn't you eat things that'll make life easier for your, ah, excretory system, Adachi?" he said, hesitatingly. "And I don't think that alcohol is something you should be drinking if you have hemmor…"

Dojima trailed off, too spooked by Adachi's feral grin to continue. He imagined that this was how explorers felt when they met a tiger deep in the dense jungle with no one around to witness their untimely death. But in a totally different context. Adachi lunged for the bag, but Dojima was ready for him. He back chopped him hard in the crux of his neck like he had to do when he apprehended violent individuals. Adachi dropped like a stone. Dojima grinned to himself as he looked over his handy work. Try to attack him would ya…

Crap!

"Adachi!" Dojima cried out in alarm as he realized his error. Sometimes reflexes just sucked. Especially when dealing with civilians who probably just wanted a bag of ramen. Thankfully, Adachi was breathing. He was just…out cold. Carefully, Dojima picked up the smaller man and carried him inside to his bed. He laid Adachi carefully on the covers, on his stomach so as not to irritate his fragile condition (even though he thought the story was probably BS).

"Sorry, man." He murmured, embarrassed as he covered the fainted figure's body with a comforter. If he was lucky, Adachi wouldn't mention any of this when he was able to go to work again. If he was really lucky, Adachi wouldn't remember a single moment that transpired.

Quietly, Dojima slipped out of his partners' room and headed toward the front door. Then he stopped and looked guiltily at his hand holding the bag of convenience store goods. After a few moments of thought, he reluctantly entered Adachi's kitchen and made takoyaki ramen. When he was done, Dojima placed the alcohol and energy drinks in Adachi's fridge. If the man did remember he had used his Vulcan vice grip on him, perhaps this would be enough to constitute a peace offering. Quietly, Dojima covered the bowl of noodles and left much like he had wanted to arrive–unnoticed.

* * *

><p>(AN: Three cheers for weird! Ugh…sorry guys. It's difficult surviving in the jungle. My many sleepless nights and scarce eating habits have made me susceptible to the ultimate killer: the common cold. D:

P.S. I'm pretty sure takoyaki ramen doesn't exist.

Catching up with the chapters, slowly, but surely.)


	10. uneventful morning, tenth day, short day

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/On the lawn/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: I don't own P4. And...the characters in this story seem to just do whatever they want…I try not to question it.

* * *

><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

**_KABOOM_**

Souji awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of thunder shaking the house, lighting illuminating the skies, and rain pelting the roof like bullets. Souji sat idly for a few moments wondering if he should wait it out or sleep off the storm. He wasn't afraid of thunderstorms, but—

Before Souji could complete his thought, one stray bolt of lightning cascaded from the sky and down toward their neighbor's yard. Souji watched as it struck a tree, in slow motion, and it burst into brilliant flames. In moments, the tree was consumed by fire until it was nothing but ash. And then, there was silence. The light that had filled his room dimmed. Souji smoothed the hair that had stood up on the back of his neck, stood up, and promptly walked down the stairs to the living room. When he got to the final landing, he saw Dojima sitting idly on the couch reading a newspaper. Souji stared at him, mouth agape.

"What…the heck?"

Dojima looked up at him quizzically as if only just realizing his presence. Then he grinned.

"I guess you saw that tree explode?" He paused, waiting for Souji's response, but none came. "Wasn't it amazing?"

Souji stared at the boyish excitement emanating from his uncle and had to bite his tongue so as not to rain on the man's parade by informing him that no, divine lightning was not _amazing,_ but _terrifying_.

Then, as if to spite him, lightning lit up the sky so bright that Souji was blinded. When he could see again, he hurried over to sit beside Dojima on the living room couch. The man was larger, so maybe the angry sky gods would take _him_ out instead. Dojima chuckled as he turned a page in his newspaper. The sound was so deep and low that Souji could feel the vibrations through the chair.

"There is a one in six hundred thousand chance that lightning will hit the same place twice, Souji. We're safe."

Souji stared at his uncle with a look of complete and total incredulity.

This was why Souji hated probability and statistics. People felt justified when they had numbers, but it was nothing but false security! They always thought "there is a one in whatever chance" instead of _"this could be that chance"_.

And the angry sky gods agreed with him. So, they blew up another tree with their righteous lightning. Souji shrieked, catapulted himself across the couch and grabbed Dojima's arms. The older man glanced down at him and snickered. Souji would have glared, but more thunder rolled and the house shook like an earthquake.

**_KABOOM_**

Poor Souji yelped and buried his head in his uncle's chest. Dojima placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort the same way he used to when Souji was younger; tiny and defenseless, falling asleep in the safety of his uncle's arms, lulled by a low song or deep humming. Sadly, he wasn't nine and didn't feel particularly safe at the moment since Dojima was practically vibrating with the effort it took to hold in his laughter.

Unfortunately for Souji, the storm didn't pass over quickly, instead, it continued until seven in the morning. By the time the whole thing was over, his uncle was laughing like a mad man and Souji was whimpering, shaking like a leaf in his lap and showing no signs and removing himself any time in the near future.

Nanako could only stare, as she walked into the living room, before shaking her head and starting breakfast in Souji's stead.

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><p>(AN: Ha ha. I feel like my original intentions are surfacing after all XD)


	11. uneventful afternoon, day eleven, long

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/NANORIMO!/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: I. AM. NOT. DEAD. Thank you all who still have the patience to read this story. Long live winter break. Expect a lot of chapters over the next twenty-four hours. Merry Christmas.

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Dojima stared at the shelf in front of him. Actually, staring was an understatement. Dojima leered at the shelf and all of its contents, willing it mentally to produce exactly what he needed. But Dojima didn't control the earth, couldn't read minds, command the Force, or levitate things, so the only thing he ended up doing was hurting his corneas and attracting strange looks from other shoppers. The man sighed and pulled the folded piece of paper his daughter had given him that morning out of his back pocket.

1. Saylon Nylon towels

2. Cabbage

3. Tomatoes

4. Red potatoes

5. Bagels

6. Milk (skim please!)

7. Eggs (1.5 dozen)

8. 2 packs of Udon

9. Miso base

10. Taro

11. Black tube socks

'_Black tube socks?' _Dojima thought with a shake of his head. Nanako handed the list to him earlier that morning, and asked him to do the grocery shopping. She and Souji would be exceptionally busy that week as the fall festivities neared and their respective schools prepared for performances and games.

"I can't do it, Dad." Nanako pleaded when alarm flashed in Dojima's eyes. "And Nii-chan has a project at school and won't be able to either! Please do the shopping?"

Dojima had reluctantly agreed. Ecstatic, Nanako went over everything—prices, brands, quality—so that he'd know exactly what to do. Since the death of his wife, Nanako was put in charge of the shopping. When she couldn't do it, he'd ask Adachi. And Recently, Souji had taken it upon himself to shop for grocery. It was an unspoken rule in the Dojima household that Dojima wasn't supposed to buy groceries in addition to his ban from the kitchen. So naturally, the idea of buying what they lacked for the week was a little daunting. But he couldn't look weak willed in front of his daughter and nephew, so he casually asked Souji what he wanted him to bring back. Souji, who had been tying his shoelaces, had paused to give it thought.

"Black tube socks." He replied before saying goodbye and heading off to school with Nanako.

'_Black tube socks…' _

Dojima couldn't seem to get over it. He'd always thought Souji was more of an ankle sock person. He glanced down into his cart; somehow, he'd managed to remember the right brand and amount Nanako wanted for the vegetables.

'Cabbage, tomatoes, miso base, taro, red potatoes. Check.'

The milk, eggs, and udon shouldn't have been hard to find; however, after twenty minutes of wandering Junes, Dojima felt inclined to give up. He really should have asked Nanako _where_ the items were located. Dojima scowled, ignoring the people who flinched when they noticed his expression. It was almost two o' clock! He'd been in the blasted store for three hours! Dojima marveled at his own incompetence. For a brief and desperate moment, he considered calling Adachi, but quickly discarded the thought. His partner hadn't really been talking to him after the ramen incident when Adachi was sick.

Dojima could feel a headache growing. He needed a distraction and badly.

So, he went to the electronics section.

Dojima was, to say in the least, pleasantly surprised. He never understood Adachi's strange fixation on Junes' electronic department before, but now he could see why. They didn't have just video games and phones, but they had mini-computers, and the lower versions of Persocoms. Dojima could feel himself salivating. Persecoms hadn't even left Tokyo yet! But what else could you expect from _**the**_ Junes? Abandoning his cart, Dojima wandered around the vast department, playing games and testing camcorders. He couldn't help it. He was a detective as well as a man. Gadgets were his weakness.

"Mommy!" some shrill voiced child whined an isle over. "When are we going to get the bagels? I want chocolate chip bagels!"

Dojima felt himself cringe, not listening to the mother's response. Who ate chocolate chip bagels? Then, it hit him. _Bagels._ Bagels were on the list of things he was supposed to be buying. Dojima sank to the floor. '_What the heck am I doing?'_ He despaired.

His daughter and nephew would be home any minute and he still hadn't found over half of the stuff on the list! He was about to give up for good he felt a soft tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me?"

Dojima didn't look up. "Yes?"

"I noticed you wandering around for a while. Do you need help?"

Dojima just grunted, hoping the person would leave. But they didn't.

"There's a paper in your back pocket. Is that your grocery list?" the person paused. "I can take care of that for you."

Skeptical, Dojima whirled around to look at the person, but there was no one there. And his cart was gone. He stared at the empty space in front of him until he noticed the whispers of onlookers around him. Dojima took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. He lifted a hand to rub his temples and slowly made his way to an empty office chair on display. He'd been sitting for seven minutes when a loud voice called out to him.

"Hey, mister!"

Dojima was so surprised that he choked on the air in his lungs.

"You okay there, sir? I got everything on the list."

Dojima looked up to thank the person and then stopped. He stared. This time, too shocked to speak. Before him was some….thing. The strangely kind individual was wearing a costume that was large and blue and looked like some sort of deranged, alien bear.

"Well, here is it is!" Alien Bear exclaimed as he handed over the cart. "I hope I didn't miss anything!"

Dojima just stared as he took the cart. The bear thing grinned and waved goodbye.

"Have a good day, mister! And please shop with us again! Everything's great at your Junes!"

Dojima didn't say anything as he walked away. He didn't say anything as the cashier rung up his items or on the drive back to his house. He didn't even say anything when Souji and Nanako came home. He just stared at them, looking disturbed.

It goes without saying that he never ventured alone in Junes again.

* * *

><p>(AN: No one in this story makes sense. Forgive them, they're all crazy. Please excuse any spelling/grammar mistakes. Feel free to file a complaint. I'll point you to my lawyer. Oh, yeah. That Chobits reference? Excuse that as well.)


	12. Eventful afternon: Fujoshi

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/Yuletide carols!/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: Now, at long last, someone else's POV! Happy Holidays. I promise to produce something worthy of reading soon. Like, next chapter soon.

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Adachi Tohru was the town proclaimed wife of Dojima Ryotaro. Sure, no one said this to his face (or behind the man's back for that matter), but it was some unspoken title that Adachi utilized to the fullest. There were many advantages in being formally recognized as Dojima's partner. They included, but were not limited to: free booze, free sushi, free room and board, free designated driver when he got too drunk to—

"Adachi-san!"

Adachi glanced up at the running figure coming towards him and smiled. There were also many responsibilities that came with this title. Like taking care of Dojima's daughter as if she were his own. At the consequence of death if he didn't of course.

"Hi, Nanako-chan! How was school?"

"Great!" the girl beamed, taking his hand and dragging him towards the car. Adachi laughed and sent a sheepish smile to the teacher who stayed behind with students who were to be picked up. On the inside, he was groaning. Seriously. He liked Nanako and all, but why did he have to do Dojima a favor? After that ramen incident, it was the least the man could do.

Nanako settled excitedly in the passenger seat, pulled out a notebook and began scribbling excitedly on the lined paper. Adachi grinned when her lead broke and she muttered angrily. He couldn't stay angry with her around. Adachi pulled into traffic and glanced down at Nanako again. Surprisingly, she was looking at him.

"Yes? What is it?"

Nanako looked away, a little red in the face. "Uhm….nothing."

Adachi frowned, sensing the awkward silence thing about to happen. Nothing sucked like awkward silences. "Okay, kid. Shoot. I won't judge."

Nanako turned back to look at him, narrowing her eyes, slightly. "Yeah, you will."

_Like father, like daughter, eh?_ Adachi snorted. "Does it really matter?"

Nanako thought on it more before smiling slightly and shaking her head.

"Great. Now that that's settled. Shoot."

"I don't think it works."

"What?"

"You and Dad. I don't think it works."

Adachi frowned, not truly understanding. What about him and Dojima didn't work? Did they look bad together? Personality clash? Was he keeping the man from a stable relationship? Adachi's brain fired off more possible meanings to the littlest Dojima's statement, but Nanako took the liberty of explaining herself.

"Some girls at school said that if you and Dad were together, it would be hot. I don't really think so."

"Ah." Adachi said, feeling relieved. If that was all it was, he had nothing to worry about. The amount of power, Dojima Nanako had over him if she thought he wasn't right for her Dad as a partner was…frightening. One word and he'd be out of a job. The things Dojima would do for his daughter. Adachi let his relief fade a bit before thinking back on her statement. It was only natural that the girl didn't think he'd look good with Dojima, the other man was her father after all. She probably believed only her mother fit that role. Simple, really.

"So who do you think would work? With your Dad, I mean."

"Nii-chan."

Adachi sputtered. "What?"

Nanako looked up sharply, probably because of the unmasked surprise in his voice. Her brow furrowed. When she spoke, she sounded a tad defensive.

"It really has to be Nii-chan." Nanako exclaimed. "Adachi-san, you're Dad's best friend, his go-to person when he's feeling down. Romance between best friends is super lame."

"So you choose incest instead."

"Well, there was also the option of you and Nii-chan, but that's too angsty. It really has to be Dad and Nii-chan. It's perfect. Funny things would happen. There'd be sweet moments and sad moments and moments of love."  
>Adachi took his eyes off the road to stare at his partner's daughter. She was well on her way to the deep end. He felt a little ill.<p>

"Well? What do you think, Adachi-san?"

Thankfully, Adachi pulled up to Dojima's house at that exact moment, saving him pain of having to answer. He opened his and the passenger's door, got out, and escorted Nanako to her front steps. Souji, standing in the doorway, greeted them.

"Welcome home, Nanako-chan. Hey, Adachi-san."

Adachi didn't answer. Instead, he took three bold steps forward and placed his hands on Souji's shoulders. He ignored Nanako who squeaked in surprise. Adachi looked Souji— who seemed very disturbed—in the eyes, gave his shoulder a slight squeeze and whispered, "Be strong; I believe in you."

"Ah…okay."

Adachi nodded once, pity washing over him. He turned and walked back to his car, climbed in and drove away.

Souji frowned as he watched Adachi's car drive off. He turned to Nanako for an answer.

Nanako closed her eyes, shook her head, and walked into the house. "Some people are just non-believers, Nii-chan."

Souji followed behind her, more confused than ever, but he didn't question it. Some things were better left alone.

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><p>(AN: No. Adachi is not his first name. I know. Shocker. Scared me the first time, too.

Apologies about grammar/spelling from previous chapter still apply.)


	13. uneventful evening, day twelve, long

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/OHM NOM NOM CAKE/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: Special thanks to MoonlightSkye for the encouragement. I was planning on updating today anyway; you just made me type faster. Like you asked, my Christmas present to you. Merry Christmas everybody!

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

Seta Souji stepped into the Inaba police Station, a lunch tote with his uncle's forgotten dinner in tow. He dipped his head in a slight bow and waved accordingly to greetings from the many workers of the building. It was little wonder he was famous. Inaba was a small town and his uncle was a well-known detective. News of his relations were all over town much less the department where Dojima worked. Souji wasn't sure how well he liked his unintentional fames (it meant there were more eyes watching what he was doing even when he thought no one was watching), but it was not without its perks. Souji shot the receptionist a brilliant smile. The man nodded to him as he went past into the employee workplace. After the third time he'd stopped by to deliver his uncle's dinner when he forgot it, the receptionist had stopped asking for his ID.

"Whoa? Souji? That you?"

Souji stopped mid stride and turned around to see Adachi, mouth agape. He smiled and walked over, a little happier. Adachi's presence meant he would find Dojima faster. His uncle and Adachi were like smoke and fire. Where there was one, there was the other. He had a Japanese Literature paper that needed writing. Adachi returned the smile with a lazy one of his own before glancing down at the bag in Souji's hands.

"Did you bring that for Dojima-san?"

Souji nodded.

"Darn. You just missed him actually."

Inwardly, Souji groaned. The distance from the Dojima household to the police station wasn't exactly a short hike. Outwardly, he kept his face neutral.

"Do you think you could give this to him when he gets back?"

"Sure." Adachi replied easily. He took the lunch tote and gave Souji's shoulder a pat. "Sorry you had to walk all this way. I know it's pretty far. Want me to drive you ba—

"I TOLD YOU ALREADY! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! THEY WERE THE ONES THAT STARTED IT!"

Adachi flinched in surprise at the sheer volume of the voice that interrupted him. Souji looked over Adachi's shoulder and down the hallway to where the bellowing seems to originate.

"Oh dear." Adachi murmured. "Seems like they're interrogating Kanji again."

"Kanji?"

Adachi turned back to Souji with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Tatsumi Kanji. He's a freshman at your high school, I believe. He looks pretty rough and there are rumors that he's a part of a biker gang or something. But you wouldn't believe any of it if you met the guy."

Souji inclined his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

Adachi studied him briefly with a mischievous look in his eye. "Well, why don't you join me while I check up on that interrogation and take the chance to talk to him."

"Isn't that illegal or something?"

Adachi shrugged. "No more than you being in here without written permission."

_'Touché.'_Souji thought as he followed Adachi into the interrogation room. The voices that sounded muffled from the hallway increased in volume as they neared.

"Like I _said_. They came to the shop and started bothering the customers. I told them to go outside or I would call the cops and they left. Twenty minutes later, when I was taking out the trash, they tried to blindfold me and ambush me. I hit them out of self-defense! "

It was the same voice that had yelled earlier. Souji deduced it as Kanji's voice. Adachi opened the door just as the officer rolled his eyes and said "Uh-huh." Standing before him was a tall, blond haired guy who seemed Souji's age. He had a few piercings, was wearing a sleeveless band shirt with a skull for the logo, and looked intimidating with his fierce glare, but beyond that, Souji didn't see what was so menacing about the guy that it would attract rumors. Kanji, as Souji assumed the blonde was, got redder in the face at the officers obvious dismissal. He rose to his full height and advanced slowly to the man, murderous intent billowing off of him like waves. Adachi stepped in before anybody could lose a limb.

"Hey, Fujiwara." Adachi said casually to his coworker. "You're on break now, I'll take over."

The other man nodded and handed Adachi an empty notepad. "He's all yours." He sneered before leaving the room. Souji watched curiously as he left and then looked back at Adachi in awe of his blatant lie. Was he allowed to do that? Probably not.

Adachi strolled over to the interrogation table, hopped up, and sat on it. He stretched and then looked at Kanji. "So…what's up?"

Kanji blinked in surprise, seemingly lost for a moment before his anger returned at full force. "Like I said, these guys showed up at the shop causing trouble and—

Adachi held up a hand to cut him off. "I heard all of that. I get the story. What I want to know is why you're here."

Kanji scowled, eyebrows furrowing. "Apparently, the police think I'm far too scary to be the victim in this. I was attacked behind my shop, so I fought and fought hard. Those guys hit me with a spiked bat. They would have killed me if I hadn't broken free."

Adachi nodded. "Do you remember the names of these guys…or….?"

"There were here earlier. Was that other guy new? Cause he didn't even blink when they gave him fake names and addresses."

Adachi grinned. "Fujiwara's a noob. Ignore 'im. But that last bit of info is important. Even if some of the idiots around here believe rumors over facts, no one will ignore giving fake identification to the police." Adachi hopped off the table, emitting a happy sound when his feet hit the floor. "Souji. Clean up Kanji, will you? His arm is bleeding all over the place and we need him conscious so he can identify his attackers." He waved to them and slipped out the door.

Souji turned back to Kanji who was studying his arm warily. He looked up and flushed, seeing Souji's eyes on him. "Um…"

Souji smiled. "The first aid kit is over here. C'mon. We have to wash your arm first."

Kanji obeyed, letting his arm run under the tap water. "Why is there a sink in here? I thought this was an interrogation room."

"It's a spare break room, actually. They probably didn't think your problem was serious enough to use the real one."

Kanji frowned. "And you know this why…?"

"Oh, yeah." Souji said as turned off the water and wiped Kanji's arm with a paper towel. "I'm Seta Souji, Dojima's nephew.

"Nice to meet you." Kanji said. "I'm Tatsumi Kanji." He extended a hand, which Souji grasped and shook firmly.

It didn't take Souji long to finish. He wrapped gauze quickly and tight around Kanji's fore arm as the other watched.

"You're pretty good at this. Used to it?"

Souji shrugged. "Lived in the city. There were fights."

"You don't look like a fighter."

"Not me. Friends."

"Ah."

Souji looked over his handiwork again before leaning back, satisfied. "Hey. Why were those guys bothering you anyway? People don't usually go into shop just to cause trouble."

Kanji flushed and looked uncomfortable. He scowled and fidgeted for a moment before opening his mouth to say something. Adachi walked in at that moment, however, saving him from having to answer.

"Oi! Tatsumi! You're needed."

Kanji nodded and stood up. "Well, I got to go. Nice meeting with you. Seta-san." He dipped his head slightly before walking out. Souji cringed and made a mental note to get Kanji to drop the honorifics the next time they met.

"Souji!" Adachi called from the doorway. "Bring the first aid kit over! Dojima's back and he got scuffed up a bit. Go see 'im."

Souji sighed and walked to the door, kit in tow. He had a feeling he'd be getting home late. So much for that Japanese Lit. paper. In the police force, patching people up could take all night.

* * *

><p>(AN: This makes 3 out of 11 chapters I owe you guys. And they'll all be done in the next few days. So don't make me beg. Review.)


	14. uneventful afternoon, day thirteen, long

**Title**: Ordinary Lives

**Pairing**: Souji/Dojima

**Genre**: Family/Romance/Humor/Drama/Drama/Drama/Drama/LEFTOVER CAKE/Drama/Drama/Drama…

**Rating**: T

**Summary**: Ordinary, not because we are, but because these things occur every day.

**Disclaime**r: Why can't we just tell a funny story to college Admissions Offices and they admit us based on which ones make them laugh the most? Man, I hate college apps.

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><p><strong>Ordinary Lives<strong>

It occurred to Dojima one day that he was probably just the slightest bit awkward when it came to dealing with kids, teens, preteens, young adults, and anyone else under the age of twenty-one. The first tip off that day was when his daughter, Nanako walked into his room and asked if she looked alright. It had come to his attention that she liked a certain classmate and needed everyone's approval in the house on her outfits before she would even consider leaving for school. Dojima hadn't known what to say, so he told her she looked the same as she had every day. Nanako had looked at him as though he were crazy and sauntered off to find Souji.

The second hint that came to his conclusion of "youth caring ineptitude" as Adachi coined it, was the way Souji stared at him when he tried to make a joke to lighten the eerie silences that often accompanied breakfast when Nanako was at a friend's for the weekend. It was a blank stare. Not all that different from Souji's normal expressions, but with significantly less emotion that even Dojima could tell. Either that or he was paranoid.

The third occurred just that afternoon. Dojima happened to have the day off, so he was home when Souji and Nanako walked through the front door.

"Hi, Dad!" Nanako exclaimed, giving her father a hug before running up the stairs to her room. Souji set his things by the kitchen table and took a seat.

"I'm home, Dojima-san."

"Hm. Welcome, home."

Souji looked hesitant for a moment before speaking again. "Do you mind if some friends come over tomorrow?"

Dojima frowned, experienced eyes not missing his nephew's reluctance. "It's fine. Should I mind?"

Souji shook his head, silver hair tousling with each shake and then settling when he stopped. "No. But about…" he paused to count on his fingers, "About four people are coming and they want to have a sort of cooking contest. I wasn't sure if you would be okay with all the noise they are going to make."

Dojima nodded and picked up the paper lying to the side and opened it. "So long as you clean up afterwards, I'm okay with it."

Souji breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't seem to relax. After another moment of tense silence, Dojima set his paper down and studied Souji silently, growing impatient when his nephew didn't answer.

"Well? What is it?"

Souji frowned. "When will you be home tomorrow, Dojima-san?"

"After eleven I believe, why?"

Souji seemed to wither at his answer. "Nevermind." He murmured. Dojima felt a flash of irritation at his response. He never did like half-questions left unasked and unanswered. He reached over and placed a hand on Souji's folded ones atop the table. He leaned forward and looked Souji in the eyes. He tried to make his face seem earnest and open so that Souji would feel he could talk to Dojima about anything. The affect was the opposite of what he desired. Souji flinched away and withdrew his hands almost immediately. Then, realizing what he'd done, his cheeks reddened slightly. He didn't look up, but stared at the table. The atmosphere in the room quickly made a turn for awkward and Dojima, still unsure of what he'd done wrong, found the tabletop suddenly more appealing than facing his nephew. Maybe it was the look on his face?

"Are you fighting?"

Dojima looked up at his daughter who had walked to the table without him or his nephew noticing. She folded her arms and looked accusingly between the two.

"No, Nanako. We're not fighting."

Souji shook his head in confirmation. Nanako's eyes narrowed and huffed, completely unconvinced. She lifted her nose in the air and looked down on them.

"Kiss and make up."

Dojima blinked and expressed his surprise in the most eloquent way possible. "What?"

Nanako frowned. "You and Nii-chan have to kiss and make up Dad."

"Why?" Souji wanted to know, effectively voicing the question Dojima was too surprised to utter.

"It was on TV the other day. When people fight, they have to kiss and make up. That's the way to make hurt feelings better." She replied.

"I think that only applies to lovers, Nanako-chan."

Nanako tilted her head slightly. "Don't you love Dad?"

Souji frowned. "Well, yes, but—

"Then there's no problem right?"

"Nanako, what he means is—

Nanako interrupted her father, showing an aggression that Dojima thought was dormant, if there at all. "Souji, Dad. Kiss and make up." Her brown stare was hard as flint and biting as if telling the both of them that she would hate them forever if they so much as tried to escape.

Dojima glanced at Souji and was surprised to see his nephew gazing back at him, expression unreadable. Dojima sighed, stood and walked around Nanako to Souji, unwilling to drag out the awkward of an already awkward atmosphere. He stood over Souji, who was watching him silently and leaned down, pressing his lips to his nephew's forehead. He stayed motionless for one second and then pulled away. To Nanako he scowled.

"Happy now?"

Nanako's eyes glittered with satisfaction, her pigtails bobbing as she nodded excitedly. Dojima turned back to Souji and found that his nephew was studying the tabletop once again, expression indecipherable.

"Souji?" he called hesitantly. Nanako hummed in the background as she removed pots from the cabinets in preparation for dinner.

"I was going to ask you to be the judge."

"What?"

Souji looked up. "I was going to ask you to be the judge. Of the cooking contest my friends are having tomorrow. I didn't want to subjugate Nanako to whatever concoctions they conjure up."

"But it's okay to poison me?" Dojima asked with a wry smile.

Souji grinned at that and the tension in the air dissipated a little. Dojima placed a hand on Souji's head and ruffled his hair. "I'll see if I can come home earlier tomorrow, but I can't make any promises."

Souji nodded. "Thank you." He smiled, making Dojima feel less of a failure at interacting with younger individuals.

Souji and Dojima said nothing else after that. They watched Nanako as she sang while cooking, joining in occasionally. It was only after Souji stood to help her set the table and the feeling of warmth left his palm did Dojima realize he'd forgotten to move his hand.

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><p>(AN: The Persona 3 Soundtrack is awesome! \(^x^\ )


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